Every Second Counts
by thekatqueen
Summary: Terezi being bored out of her mind, she decided to call Karkat and maneuver him out of his irritable mood. What they both soon find out is it not just the small laughs that make them smile, but both being in each others presences just lightens up the mood entirely. They both realize not to let the small details slip, little moments mean the most, and every second counts.
1. Chapter 1

This is Humanstuck, btw

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Terezi sat in her room, bored out of her mind. Her parents left to go out of town for a month, leaving her at the house by herself. She didn't have any strict rules other than keep the house clean, no strangers over, and no parties; just normal instructions. Her parents left some emergency money, and they were off. She was relieved her parents would actually give her enough responsibility to be left alone in the house. She was 17 now, and she had been waiting for this for a long time. But at this age, she sat wondering how she had nothing to do on Friday night. She decided a phone call would just have to be in order to a certain irritable somebody.j

Karkat stormed up the steps leading to his room, slamming the door behind him the moment he stomped inside. His father's voice was still booming downstairs, yelling at him to get his act together. He resisted the urge to open his door and bark down a response as best as he could. Instead, he flopped down on his bed and buried his head in his pillow, letting out a frustrated scream. Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket, demanding attention. With an irritated sigh, he pulled it out and glanced at it. Ugh, what the fuck did she want? He debated ignoring it, but instead answered the call. "What do you want, Pyrope?" He demanded.

She chuckled, sitting up on her bed, and crossing her feet. "Who's to say I didn't want to just talk to a buddy? Who's to say I didn't really want anything to begin with?" She smiled to herself, twirling a few strands of her hair and twirling them between her fingers. After a few years of friendship, she was used to his snappy comebacks. When she thought about it, it wasn't really his fault. The last time she went over to his house, his father was yelling at him every chance he could. She would flinch every time his voice echoed through the house. It made her feel even worse that sometimes it was about her presence at the house. Overall, she knew he was a great person once he wasn't heated and angry. He just needed a few moments of cool-down and relaxation. "Who's to say I didn't want to say 'Hi' and cheer a friend up?"

"You always want something." He responded, flipping over onto his back. "Its either you wanting me to go over there to play one of your childish games or hang out with your retarded friends." It was a fairly true statement. Nine times out of ten, she was trying to rope him into joining her when her friends got together, thinking he'll have a wonderful time. He rarely did. She was bossy, sarcastic, and had the most annoying laugh of all fucking time. But, she was one of the few that would put up with his shit, so he guess he owed her something. "And who says I need cheering up? I'm in a fan-fucking-tastic mood thanks."

"Alright, then I won't cheer you up. What are you up to anyway?" She uncrossed her legs, stretching them out across her bed. "Brother still giving you those intensive lectures?" That was a bit of a stupid question. She put him on speaker phone for a moment while she got up and went to her closet, searching and then grabbing a soft, fuzzy, bright red colored blanket and wrapping herself up with it, then sitting back on the bed.

"I'm not really doing all that much. Dad is siding with Kankri on this whole college issue." He replied, glaring up at the ceiling above his bed. "The insufferable idiot calls me every fucking day, going on about picking a college and getting my applications in order and whatever the fuck else." He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't know why he's insisting I do this; I'm not going to get into college in the first place so what does it even matter?"

"Of course you could get in! I mean, they don't need to be rushing you on the matter, that's going to make you want to go even less. I'm positive if you tried you could get in. I know you're smart enough for it, but them trying to force you into it is not the right way to go on this. I mean, how are you going to pick your classes if you aren't even really sure what you want to do yet? I mean, I'm on your side about this, don't get me wrong, but maybe you just don't want to go right this second, and they just don't understand it yet." She sighed, leaning her head backwards to lay back on her pillow.

"Well I don't know if I want to go or not, you're right about that," He conceded. "The problem here though, is that my teachers are total fucking assholes. I mean, come on, did you see my grade on my speech for Gov?" He threw his free hand up into the air out of frustration. "Mattingly gave me a 79 on it because my 'dialect wasn't appropriate'. That's total bullshit! If the government is going to do stupid things and I'm given a chance to express my opinion, I'm going to express my fucking opinion in whichever way I see fit!" He stopped and took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down some. "But you're right, I don't know what the hell I want to do. I have no talents and all I do is rant at people about the dumbass things they do." He let out another sigh and ran his hand down his face in an exasperated motion.

She rolled her eyes, chuckling lightly. "You are a lot smarter than you make yourself out to be. Do I have to keep reminding you of that?" She shook her head. "I think you just need to calm down a bit or something. Do you want to come over here and hang out and calm down? I don't want you to get so mad that your family decides to dismember you."

He glanced over at the clock beside his bed. It showed 5:45. "Well it isn't late, but I still doubt my dad is gonna let me come over. Of course, at this point I don't really give a flying fuck." He paused to think for a minute. His window wasn't really too far down and she didn't live all that far, just a couple of blocks over. "Why the fuck not. It'd get me away from these dumbasses."

"Be careful though.. Don't hurt yourself or something stupid." She picked her phone and blanket off of her bed, and slowly trotted downstairs and decided to clean up a bit before he got there. After setting her blanket on the couch, She began picking up various cups, plates, bowls, and setting them in the sink to wash later. Tidying up until everything was actually presentable, she sat on the couch with a sigh, phone still in hand.

"Why would I do something stupid? I'm not an idiot." He stood up and stretched, feeling his back pop multiple times. "Ow." He looked around his messy room. "Might as well get out of here before my dad comes up to check on me. I'll be there in a few."

"Alright, talk to you in a bit then. Bye Karkat." She picked up limp blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders and grabbed the remote, turning it on to Law and Order.

"See yah." He said, ending the call. He debated on whether or not to grab his keys. It would be pointless to drive, but he may need them as a back up to get back into his house. Shrugging, he grabbed them off his bedside table and shoved them in his pocket. He heard his dad yelling downstairs. Not wanting to get caught, he quickly makes his way over to his window. Sliding it open, he sticks his foot out and onto a branch of the tree right outside. He makes it out and closes it behind him. Grabbing onto the branch he's crouched on, he lets himself drop onto the branch below him. He repeats this again, then jumps down the last few feet to the ground. Quickly regaining his balance, he then takes off down the street towards Terezi's house.

As she sits, she thinks, a concentrated look on her face. How had he always managed to get out of the house without anyone noticing him? Was it just them not paying attention? Did Karkat just happen to be that sneaky? She guessed those would be questions to ask him when he got there. She layed back on the couch, eyes slowly shutting every few minutes, until she really couldn't keep them open any longer, and decided to lay her head on the arm rest, and just sleep until he arrived.

Karkat makes his way down the street, taking his time to cross a few times to avoid people while letting his mind wander. He finds his thoughts centering around Terezi. As much as he really hated to admit it, he was lucky to have her. Although she could be the most annoying little brat in all of existence, she also put up with his shitty attitude towards everything in general. Everything about him should have made her run in the opposite direction, but here she stayed. He didn't understand her sometimes, but most of the time, he didn't want to.

* * *

FINALLY GOT THE FIRST CHAPTER UP! That only took like 5 months. (first thing I've posted in 5 months too)

Anyways, this is an RP my friend Lex and I decided to throw together back in April and we're still working on it because we're not sure where its gonna end. So, stick around for all the fluffy Karezi goodness! (We're at 20k words so brace yourselves) We plan to update every Saturday for god knows how long, but because it's Karezi day, you'll be getting the first taste today :3

Anywho, I'll be the one posting updates here and on my AO3 account under the same name, while Lex will occasionally be posting spoilers (just the good stuff ;] ). You can follow my fanfiction tumblr, land-of-spirit-and-shadows, and you can follow this wonderful Terezi's tumblr, stopitlex


	2. Chapter 2

Finally reaching the front step of the insane brunette, Karkat knocks on the door a couple of times but after a few seconds, nobody shows. She had told him her parents were out for a month invited him over, so she had to be here, right? Waiting a moment more, he tries opening door. It's unlocked. He looks around in the not-quite darkness of the quiet street, then walks in. "Terezi? Where the hell are you?"

Terezi lies asleep on the couch, and small little breaths escape her nose. Her stomach slowly rose and fell, as she laid sideways on the couch. She was covered up in her blanket and her hair was a bit messy, strewn across her face. This is one of the times that she was actually quiet, alone from bossy or annoying or anything else. Adding onto that, a deep sleeper.

Walking in, Karkat notices the tv is on in the living room and playing, of course, Law and Order. Ignoring the characters on the screen, he walks into the large room. The couch is in front of him and he walks up behind it. Peering over, he sees Terezi's sleeping form. She looks peaceful without her overly large grin on her face. He's struck for a moment by how... adorable she looks. Slightly curled up, she looks about half her usual size. Her hair is partially covering her face and he urges to reach out and sweep it behind her ear, but he refrains, just barely. She's hinted of having feelings for him, but it was always in such a teasing manner, he could never quite be sure. So instead, he shakes his head and reaches over and gently prods her shoulder. "Hey. Terezi," He said quietly. "Terezi. Wake up. I'm here now."

She turned slightly, her eyes slightly fluttering open. She let out a slight noise that sounded like a 'Hmm..?" as she yawned and stretched. Opening her eyes fully and looking at the face greeting her, she let out a genuine smile to him. "Oh hey." She slipped her hands behind herself, pushing on the couch fabric to sit herself up. She tilted her head at him and chuckled. "You took forever. You've gotta be cold as well.. Its sorta a long walk, isn't it?" She was actually sort of pleased to wake up to his face there. His expression was calm, and not as stressed as it normally was. A nice face to wake up to, to be honest. She ran her hand along her head as she gently pushed some hair behind her ear.

"I'm fine, I have a jacket. Its really not even that cold out, you just have a skewed sense of temperature." He remarked, rolling his eyes. "And I didn't mean to take forever. You live a few blocks away, it takes a while to walk here and no way was I going to waste gas driving. Sorry I couldn't get here fast enough to please you, your highness." He added, giving her a sarcastic little bow to go along with it. She still had a sleepy look in her eyes, one he, admittedly, found a little cute.

"Shut up." She chuckled sleepily with a smile. "I wasn't complaining." Terezi yawned again, scratching her head. "Alright, come sit down already," she said, patting the space beside her on the couch. "We don't have to watch Law and Order, don't worry." She brought her blanket around her shoulders, lazily trying to rub her eyes again in an attempt to wake herself up.

"Thank God," He stated, walking around the couch to join her. "I seriously don't understand how you can watch this shit. It's boring as hell." Flopping down beside her, he keeps a couple inches distance between them. "It's no wonder you fell asleep."

"Hey, they are amazing, you shush." She reached over and handed him the remote. "Here, you can pick something if you want." She looked at her blanket, at him, then back to the blanket, deciding to make a small conversational jump here. "If you're cold you can share a blanket with me. Or you could get your own, I mean if you aren't too touchy about your space I'm not either." She chuckled a bit at him.

His face flushed very gently, just a hint of red showing up on his cheeks and ears. "Pshh, I don't care," He replied, trying to brush it off. "I'm not cold." He started flipping through the channels idly as his mind whirred. "But," He paused, his blush glowing a little brighter. "I guess if it'll make you happy..." He slowly kicked off his shoes, trying to be cool about it. Holding out his free hand, he gave a silent request for the blindingly red fabric.

"Come here." She chuckled, reaching over behind his back and throwing one end of the blanket over his shoulder. She grabbed her bit of the blanket and scooted closer, but made sure she wasn't too close… Just in case. She leaned back on the couch, cuddling up to her side of the blanket. "So, you got anything in mind for tonight? Like, movie wise or something? Because I honestly have absolutely no idea."

"Uh, I don't know. Anything look good?" He asked, slightly distracted. Now encased with Terezi under the blanket, he became more aware of the space between them. She had moved closer, enough he could feel the heat from her body, but not enough that they came in physical contact. He suddenly wished for that space to be non-existent, for her to want to be closer to him... Damn it, what was with him today? He attempted to banish those thoughts from his head, succeeding just barely.

"Well you can go ahead and pick what you want." She stood up, readjusted herself, then sat back down with her legs crossed, smiling and wrapping the blanket around her shoulder.

He attempted to give her a normal smile in return, but seeing as though he wasn't really the one for that sort of action, it ended up looking a little strange. Realizing how stupid he probably looked, he turned a slight red and turned his attention to the television, flipping through channels and pretending like nothing happened. "Uhh, how about this one?" He asked, stopping at one of the many movie channels. "No Reservations is pretty good."

"I'm okay with whatever!" She chuckled slightly before looking over into the direction of the bathroom. She pushed up her glasses and sighed. "Has it started yet? I think I'm gonna go put my contacts in." She bit her lip slightly and thought, looking over at him again. "You haven't seen me without my glasses on yet.. have you?" She chuckled nervously, but underneath she felt a bit embarrassed. She thought she looked merely silly when she had her contacts in, and that is why she never wore them to school. Plus there was the fact that it took her forever to fit them into her eye because of her lack of contact-wearing.

"Not that I can remember," He replied thoughtfully, but seeing the look on her face, he stopped. "But if it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to." He was a little curious, but he squashed it down.

"I mean, It helps me out a bunch, and I can see much clearer. I just hope it doesn't look weird or anything." She shrugged and stood up, handing him the side of the blanket that she had in her possession. "I'll be right back, then." She quickly walked to the bathroom.

* * *

Got chapter two done! We're a little late, and we're sorry about that. We'll try to be more on time next week.

Lex's tumblr: stopitlex

My tumblr: land-of-spirit-and-shadows

Tag to track on tumblr to keep track of updates and spoilers: kareziesc

See you next week!


	3. Chapter 3

Getting into the sweet and fluffy stuff~

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"Alright. But I'd hurry up," He told her. "You've only got a couple of minutes before it starts. You'll miss the introduction of Catherine Zeta-Jones' character if you don't." He watched her retreating form for a moment before taking her side of the blanket and wrapping it around his chest. He held it close to keep the warmth in the red fibers until she returned.

"Yeah, Yeah, I'll hurry." Terezi chuckled, pretty much to herself, as she closed the bathroom door softly. As her contacts laid on the sink, she eyed them warily, taking off her glasses. She picked it up carefully, sliding it in, slowly and carefully. Terezi blinked as the contact moved into place.

The beginning credits began to play on the movie. "Terezi! Its starting!" Karkat yelled. "Get out here or you'll miss it!" He shuffled around, moving a bit closer to where she had sat.

She quickly scrambled to grab her other contact. "Alright, I'm coming, I'm almost done!" Terezi looked up, trying to slide the other one in. She flinched a little, but finally set it on her eye, and blinked as it readjusted into position. She leaned forward and looked at herself in the mirror. They way the contacts intensified the light blue of her eyes was almost unrealistic. They were almost bright. Of course she thought they were pretty, but she also thought it wasn't normal! Not for her at least. She walked out of the bathroom stood beside him, grabbing her side of the blanket back. She nestled herself inside and found herself close to Karkat, the skin on their arms making contact. Of course, she didn't mind. "Wow, kept it warm for me?" She smiled, tilting her head up at him.

He felt the couch conform to her weight, but kept his eyes on the screen. The gentle heat radiating from her side made his heart skip a beat. 'stop that, you little shit.' he thought. "Yeah, of cou-" He stopped in his tracks as he looked over and saw her eyes. "God damn," he said in quiet exclamation. "Your eyes." He tried not to stare, but he couldn't look away.

She blinked a few times and before her eyes darted down to her hands. Terezi looked down at her fingers and twiddled them around. "They.. They look weird. Don't they?" She knew they would look stupid.. Good job Pyrope. Good. Job.

Shit! "No, no!" He backpedaled. "It's just they're," He paused, thinking. "Unexpected. They're pretty." He gently, cautiously, pulled her chin back to face him. "Really. Pretty."

"I-" Terezi's face turned a very light shade of pink. "Oh." When he pulled up her chin, her face turned from pink to red, and the corners of her mouth curved gently into a smile. "Pretty?"

"Uh, yeah." He responded weakly, losing his nerve. His face a shade very close to hers, he dropped his hand and slightly looked away, focusing on a point behind her. "I mean, as long as you can see better, you should wear them more often." He looked her back in the eyes for just a second. "It makes more sense doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I mean, I guess they help me see much better. I just thought they looked weird. Abnormal maybe." She shrugged a bit, not able to look at him for too long. She couldn't never manage keeping eye contact with anyone for any period longer than 10 seconds. Especially his. They were such a deep brown color that made her heart jump a little bit every time. They met eyes again and she snapped back to consciousness. "Yeah. It does make more sense. I think I should wear them more often then."

God, those eyes. They were beautiful and just so mesmerizing. "You should. Definitely." Karkat's face still burning, he tried paying attention to the movie with little success. His thoughts were swirling around his head. What was going on with him tonight? This was Terezi fucking Pyrope here, the annoying friend he's had for years. He may or may not have had a crush on her for a while now, but why is it so difficult to think normally around her all of a sudden?

She ran her fingers through her hair as she yawned slightly, trying to regain from their little 'moment'. Make conversation Terezi! "So.. What exactly is this show about? I'm pretty sure you know more about it than I do. It seems really interesting.. and It's making me hungry." She chuckled a bit, looking at the screen. "I could order some pizza?" she added, looking back up at him again. "On me!"

He chuckled when she asked what it was about. "This movie is fucking amazing, let me tell you. The girl, Kate, is a really stuck up cook who doesn't really know how to have fun or anything. Then her sister dies and she's left to take care of her niece, who's like, 10 or something." He watches the screen with a slightly hidden, but still obvious, admiration. "Then this guy, Nick, shows up and starts working there and he's all about cutting loose and having a bit of fun. Her niece loves to hang out with him because he acts kind of like a child himself. But being around him so much, she slowly starts to break down her wall and enjoy his company." He pauses, a thought hitting him. This sounded familiar. Really familiar. His face had gone back to his normal color, but it heated right back up as he realized why. "Uh, yeah sure." He added, still looking away.

"Oh! That sounds actually.. Really interesting." She decided to lessen the tension. "So is this one of those.. silly Romcoms you were talking about? Why didn't you tell me before? This sounds much more interesting than the way you describe other movies." She snickered at him a bit, hoping for a bit of comic relief. Though, she intended to have a look on her face as if she knew something that she probably shouldn't.

Karkat looked her dead in the eye. "Okay, one, it's not silly." He told her seriously. "This movie is the shit. And two," His face got, somehow, even brighter. "This movie was one of the first romcoms I ever saw. It's always been one of my favorites..." He trailed off, looking away again. Fuck, she understood it too. He didn't mean to pick one like this; it was just one of his favorite movies.

"I'm messing with you." She giggled and leaned over onto his side. "I trust your judgement that it will be a very good movie." She looked up and smiled at him, taking her phone out of her pocket. A quick change in topic here would fit just nicely. "What kind of toppings do you like on your pizza?"

His heartbeat picked up as she pressed up against him. "Uhh, I'll take anything I guess. As long as there's some pepperoni on there. If there isn't though," Karkat gave her a somewhat serious look. "I'll come after you. I know where you live, Pyrope." He threatened, smirking a bit.

"Yeah, And I know where you sleep!" She gave him a teasing look as she called the pizza franchise and placed an order. Terezi hung up, and slid the phone back into her pocket. "And if he is not in here in 30 minutes or less with our pizza we'll go after him!" She smiled and chuckled again.

"Damn straight we will. If they're gonna brag about getting their shitty pizza done and their asses over here in under half an hour, they better fucking go through with it." He was enjoying their banter and the gentle heat radiating from her side. Still trapped under the blanket with her, he pressed closer to her infinitesimally.

"You got that right," She held her hand out to him and gave him a small high-five. As he pressed closer and the space between them was nearly minute, Terezi chuckled, leaning her head on his shoulder. At least the sleep had finally been fully drained from her system, as she was now wide-awake.

If she couldn't hear his heartbeat before, she most definitely could now. He could hear it pounding in his ears, blocking out some of the sound from the television and distracting him from the movie. Of course, his thoughts were still bouncing all over the place anyways. "So uh," He started lamely a couple of minutes later. "What do you think of the movie so far?"

Terezi shrugged, not moving her head from his shoulder, but only tilting her chin up so she could see his face while she talked. "I mean, I'm not really sure about it right now, but so far I like it. Based on the summary though, it sounds.." She loved to make him just a little nervous. It calmed her nerves when she got to tease and joke around with him. Terezi looked at the screen, then back at him. "I mean, I would say it sounds kinda familiar, but I just can't pinpoint it."

Fuck, why did he bring that up again? "I have no idea," He said nervously. "Doesn't seem familiar to me, not at all." Why does he subject himself to this? Face still bright red, he tried to wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans without her noticing.

Terezi decided once again that was enough teasing as she barely noticed his fidgeting under the blanket. She decided to come back with a different subject, something he was comfortable with. "Like I said, I couldn't really pinpoint it. It's nothing." She turned her attention back to the TV for a moment. "So if this was one of the first RomComs you watched, when did you actually watch it? I honestly think this is going to be a really cute movie." There you go. A+ 'Rezi.

"I saw it once it came out on DVD," He told her, grateful for the subject change. "Kankri accidentally brought it home when I was about twelve or something. He left it in the player and I had broken the remote the day before. I was too lazy to get up and change the channel so I just kept watching it." He paused for a second before continuing. "It is a really good movie though. The actors are really good. Aaron is kinda funny. Though I don't really understand what's up with the patterned pants though..."

"So, Kankri accidentally ordered a RomCom instead of like, A documentary or something? I find that hilarious." She scoffed, turning back up at him. "Its funny how little things that we would never think would influence on our life can end up meaning so much in such a short period of time, and then they end up being a part of us forever." She offered a smile at him. He was so into this movie, so determined with it. His eyes were bright and child-like.

"It is," He said, smiling back slightly. "Life is weird as fuck and you never really know what it's gonna throw at you." He looked back at the screen. "Sometimes it gives you shit that makes you want to blow your brains out," He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "But then it decides to stop being a dick for a second and actually give you something awesome. So I guess I can't complain too much. About some things."

She scoffed again, "I know the feeling. But for the world to give me as something as amazing as I have, I think I either have really good luck, or the world just decided to be overly gracious to me." She turned her head again so it would be more comfortable on his shoulder. She ran her finger over her hair, trying to push her hair out of her face.

Karkat looked down at her. "Same. But really, either one works for me." He cautiously pressed his lips to her hair for just a moment. He then quickly pulled back and attempted to focus on the movie, his face still burning brightly.

* * *

WE'RE SORRY. We need to get better at actually getting this stuff out on time. We'll do better next week, promise! Anywho, we finally started delving into the cute stuff in this chapter, and it only gets fluffier from here!

Lex's tumblr: stopitlex

My tumblr: land-of-spirit-and-shadows

Tag to track on tumblr to keep track of updates and spoilers: kareziesc

Stay tuned for next week's chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Just so you all are prepared, the last 3 paragraphs are from Karkat's POV

* * *

Her eyes closed for a moment in happiness as her heartbeat picked up, did he just do what she thought he did? The moment was soon enough ruined by the ringing sound of a doorbell. 'I really wouldn't of minded if you were late this time...' She thought to herself, her shoulders drooping. "I'll be right back, can you get it? I'm gonna run to the kitchen really quick and grab the pizza money." No matter how much she desperately did not want to get up, she decided to untangle herself from the blanket and stand up, hurrying to the kitchen. "Coming!"

"Sure," He replied, getting up. 'Fucking punctual pizza delivery.' He thought angrily. He strode over to the door, opening it. A thin, stringy kid stood in the doorway, holding a pizza box. "Hey," Karkat greeted him, a scowl on his face. The kid responded somewhat nicely. "Money's coming, give her a second."

Terezi hurried, grabbing some money out of a jar they had on the counter. She wanted to punch herself in gut for ordering pizza. But wait, not just herself, but punch that stupid pizza delivery boy for his impeccable timing. She walked over beside Karkat, looking at the kid with a forced smile on her face, though it looked somewhat genuine. Practice makes perfect right? "How much will that be?" She asked. He replied rather quickly, looking a bit intimidated by Karkat. "T-That'll be 17.63 ma'am." She handed him a twenty, grabbed the pizza box, and took the two liter of Coca-Cola that was in the plastic bag on his arms. "Keep the change."

"Bye," Karkat said, closing the door before the pizza boy could respond. Snickering to himself, he turned to Terezi and held out his hand. "Here, let me take something."

She snickered slightly to herself, handing him the pizza box. "You can set this on the table in the living room, and I can get some plates and stuff." She walked into the kitchen, taking the Coca-Cola out of the bag and set it on the counter.

He took the cardboard box she provided. "Alright," He said, walking back to the couch. He set the pizza on the table and grabbed the blanket, folding it once before tossing it on the back of the couch. He sat back down and opened the box. "Ugh, this is the kind that puts the cheese on top." He turned to call into the kitchen. "I can't tell, what the hell did you get?"

She reached up into the cabinet and grabbed two cups, going over to the fridge to the ice dispenser. After filling both cups up, she turned and looked at him, drumming her fingers on the counter. "Um... It was two topping so I got pepperoni with extra cheese?" She hunched her shoulders, peeking at him with one eye, mocking a defensive look as if he were to yell or something, but she ruined her illusion by giggling.

Damn that adorable giggle. "I guess that's alright," He said, turning back to the pizza. "As long as it has enough pepperoni, you should be safe." Glaring at her with a smirk he adds, "For now."

"Oh it will." She picked up the coke and started to pour coke into the ups. She mumbled very lightly and under her breath to herself, "and if it doesn't I will only more reasons to punch everyone in that pizza place.." She shook her head capping the soda. "Now quit inspecting thy pizza and come over here and help me carry some more things over to the couch.

"Thy pizza?" He asked, letting out a small chuckle. "Have you gone medieval on me now?" Walking into the kitchen, he gives her an inquiring look. "All the dragon fanfictions going to your head?"

She shook her head, realizing her slip-up on her speech. She began to chuckle, and shot a gentle look at him. "Did I really say 'Thy pizza?'" Terezi's chuckle intensified into a laugh, eventually letting out a small snort, and clasped her hand over her face. Nope, she refuses to believe that he heard that.

He looked at her for a second before he couldn't help but let out a quick bark of laughter at her reaction. "Oh my god," He smirked. "You look so horrified."

"I just hate it when I snort!" She laughed again, her voice still muffled through her hand. "I sound like a piglet or something!"

"It's not that bad," He said, grabbing the glasses on the counter. "Better than when I laugh," He adds under his breath.

"Yes it is!" She laughed, grabbing plates and some napkins for them. She eyed him as she walked over to the couch. "Your laugh is not that bad. Other than the point that I don't get to hear it that much..." She teased, waiting for him to sit down.

He sits down next to her and grabs a plate. "No," He corrects her, "You've heard me chuckle. You haven't heard me laugh. There's a difference." He picks out the slice with the most visible amount of pepperoni and digs in. "When I laugh, I have the tendency to sound like a choking dog."

"I haven't hmm?" Her face gains a sly look, and she sets her items on the table in front of her. "I think we should change that then." Terezi eyed him sneakily.

He stops mid-chew and looks at her, slightly scared. He swallows slowly. "I don't like the sound of that," He said nervously.

"Hmm. Too bad." She smiled at him and dropped the subject. For now. She reached down and grabbed a nice, cheesy piece, setting it onto the plate. Her eyes widened as she looked at the screen. "Crap, I almost forgot about the movie." She scooted closer to him again and crossed her legs so she could use her lap as a small improvisation table.

He looked away from her and turned back to the television. "Oh, yeah." He'd forgotten too, go figure. "I think all we missed was the little montage of the awkward part of their relationship." He gave her a look out of the corner of his eye before taking a cautious bite out of his pizza.

"Aww, that's like one of the funniest parts!" She picked up her slice and bit into it. Still nice and warm, at least. Just for her luck, she got a really stringy bite of cheese. Her favorite, she might add, but irritable. As Terezi bit and tried to pull the pizza away from her mouth it only became stretched out and made an irritated grunt, put the pizza down, and ripped off the end, placing it in her mouth. She looked at Karkat out of the corner of her eye and chuckled before focusing back on the screen. "You didn't see that."

With a mouth full of pizza, all he could do was exhale brokenly in a semblance of a chuckle and try to keep the food in his mouth from spilling out when he smiled. He swallowed before replying. "Of course not." He leaned forward to grab his glass of coke, then straightened back up. "I saw nothing of your ridiculous display of fighting with your cheese." He gave her a teasing look as he took a gulp of the fizzy drink.

"Hey, if it was a fight, I still beat it." She said as she stuck her tongue out at him. "I am the master of cheese, And I always win." She picked up her pizza to take another bite, getting a mouthful of pepperoni. God, did she adore pizza. After finishing her mouthful she asked, "Um, so what exactly is happening right now? I'm not exactly comprehending it since we missed some... would you mind to explain?" She playfully pouted, giving him puppy eyes.

Those fucking eyes! Damn those things were beautiful; even more so when she did those sad little puppy eyes. "You should really pay attention more," He gently scolded her, setting his drink down on the table again."But I guess I can let it slide this time," He re-situated the plate on his lap, making sure nothing fell. "She and her niece have gone to Aaron's house to eat dinner and we've gone through the kind of awkward part of working together, so that leaves Kate to decide to let things happen as they will." He takes another bite of his pizza and leans back against the couch. He was well aware of Terezi's shoulder not but an inch or so away.

"It's hard to pay attention when annoying pizza boys come knocking at my door." She rolled her eyes, setting her plate on the table as she got halfway through her pizza. She listened intently as he spoke, grasping every word that easily slid out. If she were to pick one of her favorite physical features, in this case, not a physical feature she could really touch, but the way his voice sounded. It wasn't really deep, but definitely not high-pitched either. She was paying attention to the movie, but she also just wanted to hear him speak. Who cares if they had known each other for years? Every time that she had the pleasure to hear her name come out of his mouth, her heart giggled to itself like a small excited child. She decided to lean back after taking a sip of her drink. Not only did she lean back, but she also scooted over and went back to her rightful place where there was basically no space in between them.

As she moved to lean against the couch close to him, he chewed his pizza thoughtfully. As much as he was trying to truly pay attention to the figures moving around and preparing food on the screen, he was having trouble. It seems the more time they've spent together, the more the details around him slip away in favor of the girl sitting next to him. He noticed an attitude change in himself when he was around her too. A lot of the things that used to set him off didn't seem to bother him nearly as much when Terezi was around. Something was clearly going on here and he was afraid knew exactly what it was. But frankly, he didn't really give a shit.

She's managed to put up with his annoying shit for a far longer time than just about everyone else he knew. With a bit of a messed up sense of humor, she laughed ALL the time. But she was kind and tended to stick by her friends. Unless they crossed her of course. She was never one to take other people's shit, always ready to go on the offensive, both verbally and physically. He's seen her fight, and damn was she an impressive fighter.

Not to mention she was beautiful. No, she was stunning. He noticed his gaze drifting back to her, but the majority of his mind was too focused on his thoughts. Her eyes always shone with excitement whether she was poking fun at him or LARPing with her friends. Her short, dark chocolate hair was sleek and shone like polished rosewood. Her teeth were neat and straight, perfectly aligned without the help of clunky braces. She showed them off often, smiling at everything and everyone, usually laughing as well. They were framed by her soft pink lips. Not too full, but not too thin either, they were perfectly sized and looked incredibly enticing... Fuck! He ripped his gaze away from her, his face glowing bright red once again.

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Hey look, a chapter added before midnight! We're getting better! So yeah, about the 'thy' thing, Lex accidentally made a typo and I just kinda rolled with it (knowing it was a typo, of course)

Lex's tumblr: stopitlex

My tumblr: land-of-spirit-and-shadows

Tag to track on tumblr to keep track of updates and spoilers: kareziesc

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for next week's chapter!

(p.s. Leave us some comments on how we can improve! We'd be really grateful if you did!)


	5. Chapter 5

First four paragraphs are from Terezi's POV

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As she leaned back next to him, she instantly felt her body accustom to his form. Her whole body relax as she leaned next to him. She was usually always a bit cold, but when she was around him, her face warmed up quicker than she could imagine. She blushed way more than she liked to admit. Her cheeks flushed whether she was happy and excited, or nervous and embarrassed. She always felt a good few of those emotions around him. Karkat's body was always warm though. That's why she always loved the small hugs they shared, even though they weren't much. She loved the warm radiance that could be shared by the slightest of gestures, like a comforting hand on the shoulder. She moved again so her head was laying, not on his shoulder, but using it as a sort of head rest.

She truly and honestly tried to focus on the movie, which, she still was, but her mind was whirring around thoughts centered around Karkat. She loved his every feature, his every attribute, his.. everything. His shoulders weren't straight and protruding, but they weren't soft and wimpy either. That was with his whole body structure. He wasn't brawny and obsessed with his looks. But, Terezi would be quick to correct anyone that tried to classify him as weak. He had muscle, he just didn't show it off. He'd be quick to stand for anything, or anyone, he supported. He so much more underneath all the physical qualities, but as he didn't show them off, others were misled. He wasn't vain and self obsessed like most of the majority. He was nothing like most of the majority, and she loved that.

Don't get her wrong, he definitely had physical properties to brag about as well. His hair was always a mess, but she didn't mind. Not as much as a mess in a bad way, but in an admirable neat way? She actually didn't know how to describe the dark brown strands that always fell in front of his eyes and situated themselves around his face. She sighed a bit deeper as she thought again, 'And his face-'. When they were doing things together, his whole attitude seemed to change. His eyes would light up with laughter and excitement. His eyes which were a nice, deep brown made it impossible to look at his eyes too long without blushing, or getting embarrassed.

Terezi had once been messing around to tell him to shush, and put one finger over his lips. They were soft, and then she had to quickly rid the thought before more came to mind, and she quickly moved her hand away before her mind kept wandering. She could take her finger and run it across every perfect feature that he had. Well, perfect to her. If anyone were brave enough to say otherwise then they better not say it while Terezi was around. She decided not to stress anymore on trying to focus on the movie. It wasn't going to work.

With another quick couple of bites, the slice of pizza in Karkat's hand disappeared. He set his plate gently on the table in front of him. He could feel a bit of pizza sauce and cheese grease around his face. He grabbed a napkin and ran it over his face quickly, discarding it onto his empty plate. Before leaning back, he grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch. He unfolded it and draped it around the pair of them, taking care to make sure the fabric completely covered her. He caught her watching and cleared his throat, turning his gaze back to the television.

As she watched the screen, watching the two actors interact, her face turned upwards into a smile. Terezi's smile brightened as she glanced at Karkat, along with a slow brightening of her cheeks as well. She slowly, but definitely cautiously, reached her arms around his stomach in a soft.. what's the word? Cuddle. Yes. She liked that word very much.

Feeling her hand creep across his stomach to wrap around him, his heart beat suddenly shot way back up. 'Holy fuck. Okay, um. Yeah.' he thought, or at least, that's what he was able to grasp of the nonsense swirling around his head. Preoccupied with his mental freakout, he didn't notice his arm moving to wrap around her shoulders until it was too late. The cursing in his head intensified.

She bit her lip softly as she felt his arm wrap around her shoulders. Her shoulders instantly dropped and relaxed. On the screen, the characters laughed and joked around, making her slightly chuckle at every few things. She waited, and then, just as she was expecting was coming, there was a really sweet moment. She made a noise she was not expecting to make as she barely poked her lip out and tilted her head ever so slightly. "aww.."

Karkat felt his face warm up yet again. He turned his head and gave her a look. "Shut it, Pyrope," He scolded with a slight smile in his voice. Using the hand wrapped around her shoulder, he reached up and very gently papped her on the cheek. "Some of us are trying to watch." Now only if he could find someone who was; he was currently distracted by the velvety soft skin of her cheek.

"But, just- Look at them!" She chuckled, still pouting slightly. "They're so adorable.. Why didn't you show me this earlier?" She looked up at him, her eyes bright. She kept her head rested against his shoulder, and she giggled.

His gaze flickered up from her cheek to meet her bright blue eyes. God, would those eyes ever fucking stop? It took him a second to realize he was staring. Again. "Uh, I have no idea," He stammered, trying to cover up his pause. "Honestly, I didn't think you'd be into this sort of stuff."

"Well, I am now. Congratulations. I'm hooked." She gave a teasing look at him. "Now just to get You into some of the shows I like. I don't know, maybe some mysteries or something. We could be.." She looked off thoughtfully for a second, biting her lip. Looking back up at him in excitement, she exclaimed, "Partners in crime solving!", and began to chuckle softly.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You know, somehow, I don't see that happening," He replied, shaking his head a fraction of an inch. "What's the point of watching something where you're confused throughout the whole thing?"

She picked up a hand and poked his chest lightly. "Ordinary people get confused. Others get a lead and investigate. I can teach you the ways of the investigator," She snickered, bouncing her eyebrows.

"Oh you can, can you?" He asked in a sarcastic tone. "How exactly are you proposing you change me from being in a hard-set ordinary life to being in one full of mystery and intrigue?"

"You'd be surprised." She giggled and ran her fingers softly on his side, trying to tickle him a bit. She was going to hear this boy laugh, whether he liked it or not.

He let out a sharp yelp as her fingers softly grazed his side, the muscles in his abdomen automatically contracting away from her soft touch. 'Fuckfuckfuckfuck' He thought. "No, don't do that," he says, sliding an inch away. "Don't you dare try to fucking tickle me. I swear to God, if you do," He warned. "You will regret it."

"You sure about that?" She teased, a sly smile making its way across her face. He was ticklish. This would be fun. She took the blanket off of herself and sat up to look at him. "You're scared! Aren't you?" She giggled, coming a bit closer to him again.

The slight rush of cold air around his legs froze him for a second. "Scared? Psh, no," He said in a nervous tone that was barely concealed. "Why the hell would I be scared?" He warily watched her come closer and scooted farther in response. "Maybe I just don't like being tickled and maybe you should just stop now before you get yourself into trouble." He kept sliding to the point where his back was pressed against the armrest and his side to the back of the couch.

"What trouble? I am PYROPE!" She laughed and launched herself at his sides, grabbing at both sides of his stomach, running her fingers around both of his sides. They tensed up and she laughed quite hysterically.

"Fuck!" He yelled. Her fingers danced along his sensitive skin, causing his muscles to lock up. He tried pulling away, but he was already backed in a corner. 'Oh fuck.' He thought as the muscles in his cheeks began to pull up and a tightening began to form in his lungs. "Nononononononono!" His breathing started to become erratic as he tried to pull his legs up to shield himself from her touch.

"Nope! Nope Nope nope!" She pushed his legs down so they were straight, and climbed so she was now sitting on his legs. "No shields! I'm gonna get you to laugh!" She managed to actually say through her spread out laughing, As this process was actually moving quickly, and she attacked at his sides again with haste.

"Shit!" He yelled, a smile extremely prevalent in his voice. The laughter bubbling up in his chest was threatening to escape; his time was ticking. He tried to wiggle out of her grasp, but her weight on his legs was keeping him in place. Panicking, he attempted to push her arms away, but there was no strength behind it.

"RAUGH YOU'RE SO IMPOSSIBLE!" She ended up with another one of her signature grins on her face as she kept trying to come at different angles to his sides. She stole a glance up at his face, and she had seen a bright smile she had not seen in a long time. Of course, she always made him chuckle or giggle, but she hadn't gotten a full smile out of him in a long time. But, her mission was not complete yet. She knew he was holding back, and she never quits. Ever. Time to get him to laugh. She started to attack higher up his sides and a little bit lighter towards his neck. She was going to attack every corner and crevice she could.

Damn it, she was moving towards his neck! He knew if she got there, he'd be done for. Knowing that going on the offensive was going to be impossible being trapped like this, he decided to switch to focusing solely on the defensive. He tucked in his head, leaving the smallest amount of skin on his neck visible as he tried to keep his arms down to protect his ribs. Why does he have to be the most goddamn ticklish person EVER? "Stop! Terezi noooo-oo!" His exclamation was becoming more and more punctuated by laughter beginning to poke through.

He kept getting more defensive by the second. 'Come on Rezi, you know you can break him. You gotta think creatively." She thought. Terezi looked forward and stared directively into his eyes, squinting. Through chuckled and elongated laughs, she managed to shake her head and say, "You are GOING to laugh!" She looked up and noticed not only was he trying to protect his sides, but- and thats when the lightbulb inside her head flickered on. His neck! She decided to tickle him more towards the bottom of his sides as a feint, then darted right back up and wedged her fingers to his neck.

"Nooo!" As her fingers gently dragged across his neck, he knew his time was up. The muscles in his neck twitched, and it was all over. Unable to hold it back any longer, laughter starts slowly pouring from him. It starts off being somewhat quiet, but it steadily makes its way towards loud and breathy, interrupted by cuss words being flung at her for doing this to him. "I fucking HATE you!" He tries to yell, but it's hard to understand him underneath all the laughter. He tries turning to face the back of the couch, but still being pinned down doesn't get him very far.

Mission Accomplished! Her face brightened as he laughed, cursing at her every chance she got, she didn't care. She laughed along with him, and decided to stop for a second to let him breathe. Her breath was needed to be caught as well. She brought her hands down, not taking her eyes off his. After taking a breath she finally giggled again and said in a singsong voice, "I got you to laugh!" And then stuck her tongue out teasingly.

Finally released from her most hideous form of torture, he still can't stop laughing for a moment. Suddenly, it happens. Right in the middle of a string of laughter, he lets out a huge hiccup. "Damn -hic- it!" He tries to glare at her, but it doesn't work very well when his face is still stretched into a grin. "Now look what you -hic- did!" He sticks his tongue out in return and to try and take the hiccups away, but he ends almost biting his tongue off. "OW FU-hic-CK! God damn it, Pyrope! I hope you're -hic- happy!"

She looks at him with a sort of admiration. "I'm absolutely happy!" She laughed along with him, bringing a hand up to cover her face. A few snorts were let out, but she ignored it. She got him to laugh! Terezi Pyrope got Karkat Vantas, to laugh. She leaned over and laid on his chest, trying to catch her breath. Through some of the giggles and snickers, she spoke. "You have a really nice laugh. You know that?" She started to calm down to chuckles. "You should laugh much more often."

As she laid down on his chest, his laughs subsided fairly quickly, except for a few lingering ones that escaped without his permission. "As nice as my laugh may -hic- be, I always have the horrible -hic- side effect of hiccups. Every fucking -hic- time." He still had a slight smile on his face, annoyed as he was with his diaphragm.

"Its ok!" She giggled. She spoke a little under her breath, but just loud enough for him to hear. "Don't worry. It's.. actually kind of adorable." She chuckled, not lifting her head up from his chest as she took a larger than normal inhale. He actually smelled really good. She decided not to fight her wandering thoughts anymore, and let them go as they pleased.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah -hic- adorable the way I can't stop my spazzing -hic- diaphragm and vocal chords." He looked down at her, her head still buried in his chest. She was taking deep breaths to calm her laughter, but that had mostly subsided. "Are you -hic- smelling me?" He asked her. His eyebrow was raised even though he knew she couldn't see it.

"Um. What..?" She chuckled, sitting up and looking at him. "Pssshh, no!" She pulled her hand up and turned it down, her voice gaining pitch. "What are you talking about?" She smiled as she looked at him, quizzically with her eyebrow raised. She broke quickly. "Fine, yeah I was. I didn't smell you on purpose at first!" She leaned back down to his chest and wrapped her arms around his back and squeezed tightly. "You just smell so good!"

He glanced down at her, slightly confused. "Well -hic- thanks I guess," He sat there for a moment, letting his hiccups subside by themselves. Finally able to breathe correctly, he took a few deep breaths to steady himself. A long silence filled the room. He could only see the top of her head, her nose pressed to his chest. Her hair was slightly wild, but still shone beautifully. He cautiously brought his hand up and placed it on her head, gently stroking her hair, thumb just barely brushing the edge of her ear.

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Sorry it's so late this time! A super long chapter compared to the rest of it takes for a bit more revision lol. Coming up next week is the moment you've all been waiting for!

Lex's tumblr: stopitlex

My tumblr: land-of-spirit-and-shadows

Tag to track on tumblr to keep track of updates and spoilers: kareziesc

Stay tuned for next week's chapter!


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